The history of the wedding dress

Why are young ladies so infatuated with that wedding dress?

As a father with a daughter who will be getting married next year after she received her teaching degree I was interested to learn more about the history of the wedding dress and how it came about that young ladies decided to get married in a white wedding gown. I was rather surprised to determine that white wasn’t always the color of choice when it came to wedding dresses. Not so long ago white was actually the color of mourning and most brides got married in their best dress regardless of the color or style of the dress and such a dress were mostly functional so that it could be used over and over again. A whole lot of young ladies who did not have the financial means to invest in expensive wedding dresses actually got married in the color black and this was quite common among many cultures and nationalities.

When did the customary white wedding gown came into play?

History will tell us that Queen Victoria initiated the new trend of getting married in a white wedding dress when she got married in 1841. It was only after this very important political wedding that a new direction in the wedding fashions became apparent and an increasing number of brides made the decision to get married in a white wedding dress. However even though her influence was substantial especially among upper-class brides there was still a very large number of young brides that got married in just about any color except white. It actually took a significant amount of time before the new custom became fairly established among later brides. Even today not everyone will get married in white but they are still many brides who choose to get married in the color of their own choice.

Some religions had their own guidelines

I personally know about churches where it was a kind of unwritten law that once it has become known that a prospective bride are no longer a virgin then she is technically not allowed to get married in a white dress. I suppose that this is a reference to the bride of the Lamb which is mentioned in the book of revelations as a person who has their garments washed white as snow in the blood of the Lamb. Of course I never actually met any bride even at those churches who has deviated from the white dress custom. The rule was not strictly enforced but it still remains a constant memory with in the minds of those people who were aware of the condition of such a bride. And therefore when the wedding takes place there will be those who will look at her with that knowing look in their glances.

Today the choice of wedding dress is something personal

Although the predominant color is still white especially among Western brides there are by no means a rigid custom regarding the choice of wedding gown. However in order to find that’s special wedding gown which will be able to give you precious memories for many years to come it will be important to do a substantial amount of research in order to educate your self-regarding all the options which are available to you and then decide on that specific style and color of wedding gown which will work the best for you. Fortunately there is so much information available especially online and there are literally thousands of websites which are dealing specifically with wedding gowns and in giving advice and it is possible to research the dresses which are in popular demand among celebrities and other woman of stature. The more knowledge you have about the specific topic the better informed will you be and the more able will you be to make a decision which will be wise, effective and a blissful memory for many years to come.